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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. band — a music group
  5. cap — of ice
  6. band — a ring
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. track — a path
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. track — a song
  14. cap — a lid
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — to grow
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. track — to keep track
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pitch — completely
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bay — a part of the sea

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com